Sprinkler-car.



- No. 633,598 Patented Sept. 26, I899.

J. B. Kamsou.

SPRINKLER. CAB.

(Application filed Nov. 15, 1am} (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet I.

Patented Sept. '26, I899..

J. B. KENISON.

SPRINKLER CAR.

Application filed Nov. 15, 1898.)

3 Sheets--Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

@T I A /n A IEW W'ILMW 03 Q. (j rm) a 9 m cm +9 p e S d e t n e t a P 8 0A so R HE L K m R .P. S 9 3 3 6 0 N (Application filed Nov. 16, 1898.) V

3- Sheets-Sheet 3.

-GNO Modal.)

- WEB m: NORRIS Pcnzns co. FHOTD-LIYNQ. wuumaron o c UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN B. KENISON, OF LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO THE AMERICAN CAR SPRINKLER COMPANY, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

SPRINKLER-CAR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 683,598, dated September 26, 1899.

Application filed November 15, 1898. Serial No. 696,528. (No model.)

To all whont it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, JOHN B. KENISON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lynn, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Sprinkler-Car, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to that class of sprinkler-cars employing pivotally-supported side '10 sprinkler-arins for sprinkling the roadway at one or both sides of the track upon which the car runs. This class of sprinkler-carsisillustrated in United States Letters Patent to Gathright, No. 378,672, dated February 28,

I5 1888; No. 570,990, dated November 10, 1896,

and No. 570,991, dated November 10, 1896.

The object of my invention is to improve the efficiency of this class of sprinkler-cars and to adapt them to operate to better advan- 2o tage under varying conditions by providing a composite sprinkler-arm having a plurality of separate water pipes or passages which can be used together or independently, as hereinafter explained.

To this end my invention consists of the features of construction and combinations of parts, as hereinafter described, and more particularly pointed out in the claims at the end of this specification.

go In the accompanying three sheets of drawings, Figure 1 is a side view of a sprinklercar constructed according to my invention. Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of the turn-plug. Fig. 3 is a sectional View taken 5 on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Figs. 4 to (3, inclusive, are fragmentary sectional views illustrating different relative positions of the piston-valve. Fig. 7 is a fragmentary viewillustrating a modified form of construction. Fig.

8 is an enlarged perspective View of a modifled form of turn-plug. Fig. 9 is a sectional view of the same, and Fig. 10 is a detail view of the valve which may be employed for controlling the end sprinkler-section.

The sprinkler-cars of that class to which my invention relates are called upon to operate under comparatively widely varying conditions. For example, the same sprinkler-car is frequently required to run and operate upon streets of varying'widths, which are crowded with traffic to various extents,

so as to limit the speed at which the car can travel, and the different characters of roadways require little or much water to be sprinkled thereon, owing to the character of the streets themselves-as, for example, streets which are well shaded may be more lightly sprinkled than streets which are exposed, and even the same sections of streets may frequently require different amounts of water to be sprinkled thereon, depending upon the varying conditions of weather.

The especial object of my invention is therefore to construct a sprinkler-car having its side sprinkler-arm provided with a plurality of separate pipes or water-passages which can be controlled to distribute or spray ditferent relative amounts of water, as described.

In the preferred construction of my sprin- 7o kler-car the side sprinkler-arm is provided at its outer end with an upwardly-curving end sprinkler-section, which is preferably supplied by an independent water passage or pipe, so that the end sprinkler maybe turned on or off without affecting the sprinkler along the length of the sprinkling-arm.

Referring to the accompanying drawings and in detail, A designates a car-body, which is adapted to run on wheels B and to carry a water-tank, substantially as described in the Gathright patents before referred to. Extending down froni the water-tank in the carbody is a pipe 10, which connects to a casing or turn-plug section 11. Pivotally mounted in the casing 11 is a turnplug 12. Extending from the turn-plug l2 and constituting a composite sprinkler-arm are separate pipes or water-passages, as 18, let, and 15. These water pipes or passages may be connected or 0 tied together by means of straps 16.

The upper water pipe or passage 13, as illustrated, is provided with comparatively fine or minute perforations, so that said water pipe or passage 13 constitutes a device for distributing a comparatively fine spray or finelydivided streams of water. The central water pipe or passage 14 constitutes what I term the service-pipe. It is of somewhat larger diameter than the pipes 13 and/15 and-is per- I00 forated with sufficient openness to deliver sufficient water to meet the ordinary conditions under which the sprinkler-car operates.

The lower pipe or passage is not perforated, but is connected at its outer end to an upwardly-curving perforated end sprinklersection 17. Extending up from the turn-plug section 12 is an operating-shaft 18, journaled in brackets 19, secured on the front of the car. A stay rod or support extends down from the upper end of the vertical shaft 18 to support the outer end of the sprinkler-arm. Secured on the vertical shaft 18 is an operating-handle 21.

The valve-controlling lever 23 is pivoted in an arm 22 extending from the shaft 18 and is connected at its lower end to a valve-stem 24. At its upper end the valve-lever 23 is confined between the operating-handle 21 and a yoke or guide strip, as described in my ap plication for patent filed December 21, 1897, Serial No. 663,532. By means of this construction the operator is enabled to use both hands in swinging or turning the sprinklerarm without releasing his control of the valvelever 23.

One arrangement of valve mechanism which I may employ for controlling the flow of water through the separate pipes or passages of my composite sprinkler-arm is most clearly illustrated in Figs. 2 to 6. As shown in these figures, the tapered or upper part 120 of the turn-plug 12 is made hollow and provided with ports or openings to receive water from the pipe 10. The separate pipes 13, 14, and 15 are threaded into the turn-plug 12 slightly at one side of the center thereof, and

on the opposite side of the central line the turn-plug 12.is preferably bored out to form a valve-chamber 26. The valve-chamber is closed at its ends by means of threaded caps or covers 25. Fittinginto the valve-chamber 26 and mounted on the valve-stem 24 is a piston slide-valve 27. Openinginto the valvechamber-26, in position to cooperate with the piston slide-valve 27, is an inlet port or opening 28, a port or opening 29, which leads to the upper or spraying-pipe 13, a port 30, which leads to the service or central sprayingpipe 14, and a port or opening 31, which connects to the lower pipe 15, which supplies the perforated sprinklerat the end of the sprinklerarm. hen the piston slide-valve is in the position illustrated in Fig. 3, the inlet port or passage 28 will be closed, and the supply of waterto all the pipes or passages of the sprinkler-arm will be shut off. As the piston slide-valve 27 is moved to the left, as illustrated in Fig. 4, the inlet port or passage 28 will be opened, so as to admit water to the port or opening 29, thus turning water on to the upper or spraying pipe 13. As the piston slide-Valve 27 continues its movement to the left, as indicated in Fig. 5, the spray opening or port 29 will be closed, and the port or opening 30, connected to the service-sprinkler 14, will be opened, so as to admit water to the it will be seen that by actuating the valve in this manner either a light spray alone may be delivered from the spraying-pipe 13 or the service-sprinkler 14 may be used alone to sprinkle the roadway at the side of the track, or the service-sprinkler 14 and end sprinkler 17 may be used together when the full capacity of the sprinkler-car is to be utilized.

This arrangement of valve mechanism for admitting water to the separate pipes or passages of the sprinkler-arm I regard as desirable on account of its simplicity and on account of the fact that the different pipes or passages are opened successively in the natural orderin which they would be em ployedthat is to say, when the sprinkler-car is being used to its full capacity and it is desired to pass a team or other obstruction the supply of water to the end sprinkler17 is the first to be cut off, and in many instances the water may be permitted to continue to flow through the perforations in the service-pipe 14, and in any event the requisite travel of the piston slide-valve 27 is comparatively short, so that the supply to the separate passages of the composite sprinkler-arm may be almost instantly turned on or off, as desired. Of coursein some instances I maydispense with the upper spraying-pipe 13, and in other instances I contemplate supplying the end sprinkler-section 17 from the service-pipe 14 rather than to supply the same by an independent pipe or passage, as 15. It is also obvious that my composite sprinkler-arm may employ a greater number than three separate water pipes or passages where it is desired to adapt a sprinkler-car to still more widely varying conditions.

In some instances it may be desirable to control the end sprinkler-section by a separate valve mechanism from the Valve mechanism employed for controlling the perforated sprinkler-pipes 13 and 14. I have illustrated such a construction in the third sheet of drawings.

As shown in Figs. 7 to 9, inclusive, the

perforated sprinkler-pipes 13 and 14 and the pipe 15, which supplies the end sprinkler-section, are nested together or arranged to form a triangle rather than being arranged one over the other, as shown in the construction before described, and I prefer to employ this construction for certain locations, as the composite sprinkler-arm thus constructed occupies less vertical space than before described.

As shown most clearly in Figs. 7 and 10, I may employ two distinct perforated pipes or passages 47 and 48 to form end sprinkler-sections, and the supply of water to said end sprinkler-sections from the pipe 15 may be controlled by an ordinary turn-plug valve located near the outer end sprinkler-arm and ICC IIOv

in close proximity to said end sprinkler-sections. By locating an independent shut-off valve for the end sprinkler-sections in this position I can obtain a more prompt control of said end sprinkler than I can by a valve located at a considerable distance therefrom. The valve-stem 43 of the shut-0E valve for the end sprinkler may be provided with a sprocket-wheel 44, connecting and operating which is a sprocket-chain 45, which runs under a guiding sprocket-wheel 49 and is connected to an operating-lever 50. At its opposite end the sprocket-chain is connected to a spring 46, which normally holds the shutoff valve closed. By pressing down the lever the sprocket-chain 45 will turn the shut-01f valve to first admit water to the upper sprinkler-section 47, which is preferably perforated comparativelyfinely. Thesupplytotheupper section 47 will then be shut off and water admitted to the lower sprinkler-section 48, which is more openly perforated than the upper section. If desired, the ports of the shut-off valve may be arranged so that a further downward motion of the lever 50 Will admit water to both end sprinkler-sections 47 and 48, so that they may be used together, if desired.

WVhen an independent valve is used for controlling the end sprinkler-section of a composite sprinkler-arm constructed according to my invention, the ports controlled by the slide-valve 27 may be connected to the perforated side sprinkler-pipes 13 and 14, so that said side sprinkler-pipes may be used successively or simultaneously, as desired. For example, as illustrated in Fig. 9, the port 29 is connected to the upper sprinkler-pipe 13, the middle port 30 is connected to the service sprinkler-pipe 14, and the third port 31 is also connected to the upper sprinkler-pipe 13. By this arrangement of ports, when the valve 27 is shifted to the positions illustrated in Figs. 4 to 6, inclusive, Water will be first admitted to the upper sprinkler-pipe 13. The upper sprinkler-pipe 13 will then be shut 0E and water will then be admitted to the lower sprinkler-pipe 14, and a further movement of the valve, as illustrated in Fig. 6, will admit water simultaneously to the pipes 13 and 14, so that they will act in unison. By this arrangement of valves it will be seen that I have adapted my sprinkler-car for operation under even more widely varying conditions than the construction before describedthat is to say, the side sprinkler-pipes 13 and 14 may be used independently or simultaneously, as desired, and the end sprinkler-pipes 47 and 48 may be used simultaneously or independently, and the control of said end sprinkler-sections is entirely separated from the control of the side sprinkler-sections 13 and 14.

It is obvious, of course, that a separate valve and operating connections may be employed to control each Water pipe or passage of a composite sprinkler-arm constructed according to my invention 5 but I prefer the valve arrangements herein illustrated, as I regard it as desirable to use the smallest number of valves possible, as said valves have to be repacked frequently to prevent them from leaking.

When a sprinkler-arm is not in use, it is desirable that the same should be looked back at the side of the car, and I have illustrated a catch for performing this function in Figs. 7 and 8. As shown in these figures, the vertical operating-shaft 18 is provided with an extension 40, cooperating with a catch 41, which catch may be controlled by a springpressed foot-piece 42. By means of this construction when the sprinkler-arm is swung back to the side of the car the catch 41 will lock it in this position until released by the foot of the operator.

I am aware that many changes may be made in the construction of my sprinkler-car by those skilled in the art Without departing from the scope of my invention expressed in the claims, and I do not Wish, therefore, to be limited to the proportions ordetails of construction which I have herein shown and described; but

What I do claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-- 1. In a sprinkler-car, the combination of a car-body adapted to carry a tank, a pivotallysupported side-arm sprinkler having a plurality of separate pipes or passages, a pipe connecting the side-arm sprinkler and tank and means for controlling the flow through the separate pipes or passages of said side-arm sprinkler, substantially as described.

2. In a sprinkler-car, the combination of a car-body adapted to carry a tank, a pivotallysupported side-arm sprinkler comprising a plurality of separate pipes or passages, said pipes or passages being perforated to deliver different relative amounts and means for controlling the flow through said pipes or passages, substantially as described.

3. In a sprinkler-car, the combination of a car-body adapted to carry a tank, a side-arm sprinkler comprising a service pipe or passage 14 perforated along its length, a perforated end sprinkler-section, an independent pipe 15 for supplying the end sprinkler-section, a pipe connecting the tank and said side sprinkler-arm, and a valve mechanism controlling the flow through said pipes or passages, substantially as described.

4. In a sprinkler-car, the combination of a "car-body adapted to carry a tank, a side-arm sprinkler comprising a turn-plug section, a plurality of separate pipes or passages connected to said turn-plug section, and apiston slide-valve mounted in said turn-plug section to control the supply admitted to said separate pipes or passages, substantially as described.

5. In a sprinkler-car, the combination of a car-body adapted to carry a tank, a side-arm sprinkler comprising a spray-pipe 13 having fine perforations therein ,a service-pipe 14 perforated more openly than the spray-pipe 13,

and a valve mechanism arranged so that said pipes 13 and 14 may be used independently as desired, substantially as described.

6. In a sprinkler-car, the combination of a car-body adapted to carry a tank, a side sprinkler arm comprising side sprinkling pipes or passages 13 or 14, an end sprinkler-section, and a pipe 15 for supplying the same, an independent valve mechanism for controlling the end sprinkler-section and side sprinklersections respectively, substantially as described.

7. In a sprinkler-car, the combination of a car-body adapted to carry a tank, a composite sprinkler-arm comprising side sprinkler pipes or passages 13 and 14, end sprinkler-sections 47 and 48, a pipe 15 for supplying said end sprinkling-sections, a piston slide-valve 27 for controlling the side sprinkler-passages, and an independent valve and connections for controlling the end sprinkler-sections,snbstantially as described.

8. In a sprinkler-car, the combination of a car-body adapted to carry atank, a pivotallysupported composite sprinkler-arm comprising an end sprinkler-section independent of the side sprinkling section of said sprinklingarm, and a valve mounted near the outer end of the sprinkler-arm to obtain a prompt control of said end sprinkler-section, substantially as described.

9. In a sprinkler-car, the combination of a car-body adapted to carrya tank, a pivotallysupported side-arm sprinkler, a pipe for connecting said side-arm sprinkler and tank, and foot-controlled connections for locking the side-arm sprinkler in place at the side of the car-body, substantially as described.

10. In a sprinkler-car, the combination of a car-body adapted to carry a tank, a pivotallysupported side-arm sprinkler, a pipe for connecting said side-arm sprinkler and tank, a vertical operating-shaft for said side-arm sprinkler, and a spring-pressed foot controlled catch for engaging a projection from said vertical operating shaft to lock the sprinkler-arm at the side of the car-body, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

JOHN B. KENISON.

W'itncsses:

LOUIS W. SOUTHGATE, PHILIP W. SOUTHGATE. 

